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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. file — a tool
  6. file — a line of people
  7. lie — to recline
  8. mug — to rob
  9. degree — temperature
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. mug — a cup
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. degree — an amount
  15. season — in sport
  16. file — a document
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. season — of the year
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. mug — a face
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. toast — bread
  24. toast — a drink to someone

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com